An appraisal of emerging therapeutic targets for multiple sclerosis derived from current preclinical models.

Refinement of therapeutic strategies targeting key molecules involved in the activation of immune cells, cytokine and chemokine signaling, and the polarization of the immune response have dominated recent publications. While some progress has been made in identifying effective targets to combat chronic demyelination and neurodegeneration, much more work is required. Progress is largely limited by the gaps in knowledge of how the immune system and the nervous system interact in MS and its animal models, and whether the numerous targets present in both systems respond in the same way in each system to the same therapeutic manipulation.